Russian enterprises will promote a number of their newest developments at the Eurosatory 2012 International Land Security and Defence exhibition held in Paris, France, on 11-15 June 2012. Major items of interest are the T-90S MBT upgrade, BMPT tank support combat vehicle, Kornet-EM antitank missile system based on the Tigr armoured car, and Ural 6x6 hardened truck.

Specialists will focus their attention on the T-90S upgrade in the first place. They consider it a virtually new tank judging by the number of innovations introduced, and one of the best in the world arms market by the cumulative combat performance criteria.

The BMPT tank support combat vehicle is another development that has no equals in the world. Its powerful weapons set and heavy armour protection correspond well with the Russian nickname "Terminator".

The Kornet-E antitank missile system is quite popular on the world arms market is perceived as a modern anti-armour weapon system. However, Russian developers have succeeded in substantially extending range of fire of its new modification - the Kornet-EM. The Kornet-EM antitank missile system can also engage small-size aerial targets.

The Ural type trucks are actively employed in many countries and have proved their reliability and effectiveness not only in combat actions but in peace-keeping and rescue operations as well. The new Ural truck is designed with due account of experience gained in modern conflicts, is heavily armoured and fitted with enhanced anti-mine protection.

Air defence systems make up an equally important part of the exhibition. For many years Russia has been maintaining leading positions in this area. Year by year there is a growing demand for air defence systems such as Tor-M2E, Pantsir-S1, Buk-M2E, Igla-S. Lessons drawn from recent military conflicts show that a state-of-the-art air defence system is an important prerequisite to upkeep national security and sovereignity. Russia is among few countries which produce all kinds of air defence equipment, and is capable of building a nationwide air defence system for a customer country on the integrated approach basis.

Rosoboronexport, JSC believes that Russian exposition will be one of the most attractive and memorable at this exhibition. "We have been participating in the Eurosatory exhibitions since 1996, but this year's show is special. Russia has never brought such a number of full-scale new items. They are from the latest developments that clearly demonstrate a huge potential of the Russian defence industry", - says Igor Sevastyanov, deputy director general of Rosoboronexport, JSC and head of the joint delegation of the Russian Technologies State Corporation and Rosoboronexport.

Exports of Russian defence equipment for land forces have been steadily rising in recent years. According to forecasts, this trend will be sustained. Which is particularly true regarding Russian heavy armoured vehicles, multiple rocket launchers, artillery systems, infantry combat vehicles, guided munitions. Russian-made armoured personnel carriers and small arms are in constant demand as well.

At Eurosatory 2012 Rosoboronexport will conduct a great number of talks with both traditional and potential partners. Many meetings are planned also with representatives of European companies. Special emphasis will be made on contacts with leading French defence manufacturers.

Military technical cooperation with France has been growing fast in recent years. We are interested, first of all, in joint research and development. This kind of cooperation does not fall into the 'buyer-seller' category: it demands a wider cooperation to develop effective self-defence assets, including those for third countries. By combining our efforts we obtain a very strong synergistic effect. It is well seen, for example, in our projects with Thales, Safran and Sagem companies", - notes Igor Sevastyanov.

At the end of the last year a dedicated workgroup was set up to facilitate expansion of the Russian-French cooperation into the land forces equipment area. Its first meeting took place in January 2012, and the next one is scheduled for this June-end. «Rosoboronexport» wants as many as possible Russian developers and manufacturers to get involved in the workgroup activities to help define most prospective projects and ways of their implementation.

Rosoboronexport also pays special attention to upgrading earlier supplied materiel. At present there are hundreds of land forces equipment items repaired and upgraded under contracts in various countries. Russia offers an integrated approach to upgrading the materiel with several options for consideration at a time depending on customer requirements.

At Eurosatory 2012 «Rosoboronexport» provides detailed information on nearly 200 items of Russian weapons and equipment presented in total at Eurosatory 2012.

«Rosoboronexport» also offers a wide range of simulators, including those intended for training crews of the T-72, T-80B and T-90S MBTs, as well as of other armoured vehicles such as BMPT, BMP-3M, BTR-80A.

In the spotlight:

T-90S MBT upgrade: Tank designers improved all combat characteristics of the famous T-90S MBT including its fire power, command and control capability, mobility and protection. Its redesigned turret features an upgraded 125-mm gun, an advanced fire control system, new communication, positioning and interoperation facilities, as well as a remotely controlled 7.62-mm machine gun. The designers managed to retain the tank's relatively small weight while increasing substantially its protection. The tank turret provides protection against all existing munitions thanks to the efficient layout, differentiated armour and new explosive reactive armour application. The upgraded tank features a steering wheel type turn drive and an automatic gearbox which allow improving its controllability. The tank engine is also seriously modified and has its power uprated to 1,130 hp.

BMPT tank support combat vehicle: The BMPT tank support combat vehicle combines powerful weapons with heavy armour protection which facilitate armour support operations, in particular by defeating tank-dangerous targets of an antitank missile system crews type, as well as autonomous operations to reinforce infantry units, protect troop columns and installations, and defeat terrorist groups. The BMPT weapons set includes two 30-mm 2A42 automatic guns, two Ataka-T supersonic antitank missile launchers, two AG-17D automatic grenade launchers, and one 7.62-mm machine gun. The vehicle's fire control system includes a multichannel sight and a panoramic low-level light television (LLTV) sight, providing detection and identification of small-size targets at long ranges by day and night in adverse weather conditions. Three operators in the BMPT provide quick detection and engagement of three different targets in the all-round sector.

Kornet-EM antitank missile system based on the Tigr armoured car: Integration of the automatic target tracker allows the Kornet-EM to realise the fire-and-forget principle with enhanced target tracking accuracy and kill probability in the entire range envelope. The Kornet-EM's range of fire extends from 8 to 10 km depending on ammunition type. Its missile with shaped charge warhead can penetrate up to 1,100-1,300 mm thick armour plates. The new weapon system is also capable of engaging air targets, including unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, diving attack aircraft, which qualitatively increases combat potential of units on the battlefield. The Kornet-EM antitank missile system presented at the exhibition is mounted on the chassis of the Tigr armoured car which is successfully operated in Russia by power agencies and exported abroad. Its main features are reliability, good cross-country ability, large capacity, and high level armour protection.